Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-01
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The graph below gives information about the percentage of the population in four Asian countries living in cities from 1970 to 2020, with predictions for 2030 and 2040. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The line chart provides data about the proportion of the population in Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia between 1970 and 2020, with predictions for the future.
Overall, the population across all the cities had increased significantly. Malysia population is higher than remaining countries throughout all the period, except in 1970 and 1990, while Thailand made up the smallest proportion between from 2000 to 2040.
To begin with Malaysia, it had slightly less population than Philippines and stood for 30%, and then exceeded Philippines in 1980, followed by a little drop in 1990 by around 45%. Moreover, extremely surged to higher than 80% in 2040. Philipines population were considerably fluctuated, started with around 32% and jumped to near 50% in 1990. Fell to more than 40% in 2010, and then increased to higher than 50%.
Thailand had less than 20% in 1970, and then increased to 30% in 1990, remaned stable untill 2010, and then jumped to more than 45% in 2040. Indonesia begin with the smallest proportion in 1970 and started increasing to more than 25% in 2000. Furthermore, surged to 60% by 2040.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response presents an attempt to cover the graph regarding urban population percentages in four countries. There is a general overview provided at the beginning, though it contains some factual inaccuracies regarding trends. Key features are selected, such as Malaysia's high figures and Indonesia's growth, but the reporting of data contains notable inaccuracies, such as stating Malaysia had a 'little drop in 1990 by around 45%' when the data shows an upward trend. Some comparisons are made between the nations, but parts of the data are under-developed or misread, leading to a partial and somewhat confused treatment of the prompt's requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text is arranged with an introduction, an overview paragraph, and body paragraphs dedicated to individual countries, showing some basic organization. However, there is a lack of clear overall progression between the ideas. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'To begin with Malaysia' and 'Furthermore, surged'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow of sentences within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed, making the overall progression somewhat difficult to follow smoothly.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task, with noticeable errors in word choice and spelling that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples of awkward lexical choices and typos include 'Malysia', 'extremly surged', 'Philipines', 'remaned', and 'untill'. Attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'proportion', 'fluctuated', and 'surged', are hindered by these inaccuracies and spelling mistakes, reflecting a basic range that restricts precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a very limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or awkwardly concatenated clauses. Attempts at more complex structures are frequently faulty, seen in phrases like 'between from 2000 to 2040' and 'Indonesia begin with'. There are frequent errors in verb forms, tense consistency, prepositions, and subject-verb agreement—such as 'Philipines population were considerably fluctuated'—which cause strain and occasional confusion for the reader.
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